Crusader Kings II

I just played the game last night (I've tried the demo several days ago, though) and having a great time. I tried to start quite low; as Duke of Toulose or something. As I trying to get the grip of the game mechanic of Claim and inheritance, my first daughter was died in a suspicious accident. Seems like somebody killed it.

To prevent this, I tried put my spymaster to uncover plot on my county. Things quite peaceful for sometime until a civil war broke. I win the war against two of my vassals and imprison them along with my nephew who they want to replace me. Several months after this, my heir, my first son died in yet another suspicious accident!!

I still have two children left and I don't want any of them die! I need them for political marriage! And of course I love my (virtual) children too!

Either your spymaster sucks (low intrigue), or he's involved (low opinion of you or a claim on your titles). Try to appoint the best candidate possible by compromising between these two factors, give him some money, or a title if he's neither ambitious or envious, and put him to scheme in your capital, or in your first suspect's holding.

His intrigue is 12 (I think. Can't remember) and those in my court are has green opinion of me. I didn't check about the claim though. I'll try to look to those later. Hopefully I can let my children hit adulthood :(

12 isnt all that high either, its about average. ideally a good spymaster would have somewhere around 18 or higher. its also a good thing to note that your wife can be your spymaster if you marry someone with high intrigue in case none of your vassals make a good spymaster

Having your wife as spymaster is indeed a good idea. At least you're sure she won't kill her children, and probably not you. I usually do that, either by searching one with high intrigue or tutoring her from childhood to marry my son if I find a suitable candidate. My current wife and spymaster has 32 intrigue. ^^

Never thought of that... Kinda good practice I see. Well, let's see how my Ducthy grown later tonight. I've played an hour on my lunch break and so far no more child-killing happen. Hope this can last long...

Of course it could be somebody assassinating them I dunno if they can do that without creating a plot but you can so they probably can - maybe somebody who will be in line for the throne if they kick the bucket. Look for some cousins etc with very low opinion of you, or somebody who has claims on the titles the kids would have inherited.

Better start getting jiggy with your wife as well and giving her some gifts or something - its just like real life this game init? Well apart from the assassination bit.

And get a better spymaster. The best way to do this is look for a lowly courtier in another country with a very good intrigue rating (20 or so would be good) and invite him to your court, or offer them some bribes to get them interested in moving. Another way if one of your vassels has a very good spymaster would be to strip him of his vassal status and thereby get your hands on his spymaster. But that might have repercussions.

Don't bother trying to invite a potential candidate if they have a positive opinion of their own liege. You'll be wasting your bribe money. Go to the search function, sort by intrigue. Look down the list starting with the highest intrigue, click on each portrait to see their opinion of their own liege. If it is negative and their opinion of you is positive and at least 75 points difference between the two, then they will usually accept an offer to join your court. If necessary see if giving them a bribe will add enough points to make that 75+ point difference. Most of those you find will have the ambition trait (which is why they have a negative opinion of their own lord). Try to avoid these people. Ambition and high intrigue is just asking for trouble. It might take some work and multiple years of searching, but you'll find a good, non-ambitious and high-intrigue person to be your spymaster. Keep an eye on their opinion of you and bribe them occasionally if it starts to fall (or if you die and your heir inherits and the spymaster doesn't like the new heir). Try to keep their opinion of you at 100. You'll want to have a spymaster with an intrigue of at least 16, preferably 18+ to keep yourself and your family safe.

You can use this same tactic to find high diplomacy, high martial skills, etc. for the other court positions. A high diplomacy for your chancellor means a much better chance of creating a claim on county, high martial skill means much quicker military research or better troop recruiting and so on. The higher the better. When your councillors begin to get too old, start planning ahead and look for young replacements to have ready to step into the position.

Try to avoid traits like ambition and envy (lowers their opinion of you) in your councillors (or your vassals, for that matter). Ambition is just plain bad news for everyone except yourself.

The contented trait is great for vassals if you use the search and invite to court tactic, but it is very difficult to find someone with the contented trait who also has a negative opinion of their own liege. If you do find one, no matter what their stats are, grab them! They make excellent vassals for newly conquered territories. Even better if they also have the gregarious trait to convert it to your culture or the zealous trait to convetr the religion and/or the diligent trait with helps both culture and religion. A courtier with the contented trait, gregarious, zealous and diligent is the perfect vassal for a new territory in your realm, and if he is lustful marry him to a woman with the contended trait and no ambition and breed a whole stable of nice contented potential vassals.

Having your wife as a spymaster is a good idea. Having your SECOND wife as a spymaster is suicide. I had 2 sons (2 twin genius, what are the odds!). Wife died of stress. I blame the twins acting up all the time. Anywho, I remarry cause a single ruler is not taken too seriously. I chose my new wife with high intrigue and stewardship cause I like money AND not dying. Everything went like a charm until I got a male child with the second wife, who then proceeded to methodically assassinate my genius twins to get her own son first in the succession. Rest in peace, Billy-Bob and Bob-Billy...